Display method and display device for loom

Abstract

 A display device (10) includes a sampling unit (11) which samples an output signal (S1) from a sensor (1) at every predetermined crank angle θ, a memory controller (14) which stores data in a memory (12) in response to a store command (Ss), and a display controller (13) which superimposes waveforms of data corresponding to different memory periods on a screen of a display (2) in response to the display command (Sd), so that operational states of the loom at different times can be easily compared with each other and evaluated.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a display method and a display device for displaying behavior of weft and warp in a loom on a screen of a display so that the operational state of the loom can be adequately evaluated.

2. Description of the Related Art

[0002] A technique of immediately diagnosing abnormality of a weft feeder by continuously detecting the tension of a weft yarn being inserted into a warp shed and displaying it in the form of a waveform with respect to a crank angle in a single rotation of the loom is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 1-207422.

[0003] According to this publication, a sensor for detecting the weft tension is provided upstream of a main nozzle in a jet loom, and an output signal from the sensor is memorized after an analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion. Then, the weft tension is displayed as a waveform with respect to a crank angle on the basis of the memorized data. By evaluating a variation width of the waveform being displayed, an abnormal section in the weft feeder can be determined and diagnosed. The variation width is visualized by superimposing waveforms for multiple times of rotation of the loom.

[0004] According to the above-described known structure, data for multiple times of rotation of the loom is required since it is determined whether or not there is an abnormality on the basis of the variation width of the waveforms, and a large-capacity memory is required accordingly. In addition, it is not easy to compare waveforms before and after the occurrence of an abnormality on the same display screen, and thus the operability is degraded.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] In view of the above-described problems of the known structure, it is an object of the present invention to provide a display method and a display device in which an output signal from a sensor is sampled at every predetermined crank angle and data obtained in different memory periods are superimposed on a screen of a display, so that restriction by the variation in the number of rotation of the loom is completely eliminated and the operational state of the loom at different times can be easily compared with each other.

[0006] The constitution of a first invention according to this application (which refers to the invention according to Claim 1, the same applies to the followings) in order to achieve the above-described object has a gist that an output signal from a sensor, which detects the behavior of yarns, is sampled at every predetermined period, the signal is memorized in an updated manner in a memory over a predetermined memory period, data in the memory is memorized in response to a store command, and data regarding different memory periods, which have been stored, are displayed on a screen of a display device as a superposed waveform in response to a display command.

[0007] The constitution of a second invention (which refers to the invention according to Claim 2, the same applies to the followings) has a gist that the output signal from the sensor, which detects the behavior of yarns, is sampled at every predetermined period over a predetermined memory period in response to the store command, sampled data is memorized in the memory, and data regarding different memory periods in the memory are displayed on the screen of the display device as a superposed waveform in response to the display command.

[0008] The constitution of a third invention (which refers to the invention according to Claim 3, the same applies to the followings) has a gist that it includes: sampling means for sampling the output signal from the sensor, which detects the behavior of yarns, at every predetermined period, and memorizing the signal in the memory in an updated manner over a predetermined memory period; memory control means for storing data in the memory in response to the store command; and display control means for displaying data regarding different memory periods, which have been stored, on the screen of the display device as a superposed waveform in response to the display command.

[0009] The constitution of a fourth invention (which refers to the invention according to Claim 4, the same applies to the followings) has a gist that it includes: sampling means for sampling the output signal from the sensor, which detects the behavior of yarns, at every predetermined period over a predetermined memory period and memorizing the signal in the memory in response to the store command; and display control means for displaying data regarding different memory periods in the memory on the screen of the display device as a superposed waveform in response to the display command.

[0010] Meanwhile, in the third invention and the fourth invention, the display control means shifts a display range of the waveform curve on the screen corresponding to a shift command.

[0011] However, in the first invention and the third invention, memorizing in an updated manner means to memorize latest data, which goes back from the present time to the past for the memory period, in time series while successively updating the data, and data being stored means the data is taken off from a subject to be memorized in an updated manner and is re-memorized as fixed data. In addition, in the first invention and the fourth invention, the sensor detecting the behavior of yarns is a warp tension sensor, a weft tension sensor, a weft feeler, a weft release sensor used in a drum weft feeder, a dropper for detecting warp breakage, or the like, for example.

Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the constitution of the first invention, the output signal from the sensor is sampled at every predetermined period and memorized in the memory in an updated manner over a predetermined memory period. Then, when the data in the memory is stored in response to the store command, multiple pairs of data at different times, that is, data in different memory periods can be memorized as the fixed data corresponding to multiple times of store commands whose occurrence times are different. Therefore, since the waveform of data of two pairs or more are displayed on the screen in a superposed manner in response to the display command, it is possible to observe differences in the behavior of yarns at different times while clearly comparing the differences, and thus whether the operational state of the loom is good or not can be determined and evaluated. However, when the display command is not issued, the waveform of the latest data up to the present time, which is memorized in an updated manner in the memory, should be displayed in real time on the screen of the display device.

[0013] Meanwhile, data memorized in an updated manner and stored in the memory can be easily displayed on the screen as a waveform by making a pair with a crank angle at the time of sampling while the crank angle is used as a horizontal axis. On the other hand, a predetermined period for sampling and a predetermined memory period should be appropriately set depending on the behavior speed of yarns to be detected by the sensor. For example, when using the warp tension sensor, it is preferable to set the predetermined period and the predetermined memory period to several tens degrees of the crank angle and several cycles of the loom, respectively. When using the weft feeler, it is preferable to set them to several degrees of the crank angle and a fraction of the cycle of the loom, which includes the detection period of weft reaching a predetermined position, respectively. Note that the predetermined period may be set by time or may be set by the crank angle.

[0014] Although the store command may be generated by manual operation, it also may be automatically generated at one or more of the time of a particular time during loom operation to be previously set, which is time when a predetermined weaving time has elapsed, time when a predetermined length of woven cloth has been achieved, time when particular abnormality has occurred, time when a loom stop signal has been generated, or time when the loom has been activated, for example. In addition, the command may be generated continuously at every particular period. Further, it is generally sufficient to generate the display command by manual operation. However, the display command may include various kinds of options in order to select a memory period to be displayed out of data regarding multiple pairs of memory periods or to designate a range to be displayed out of data of a selected memory period.

[0015] In the case of the second invention, since the output signal from the sensor is sampled by the store command and memorized into the memory, it is impossible to display the waveform of the latest data up to the present time in real time, but the others are completely equal to the first invention.

[0016] In the case of the third invention and the fourth invention, they can smoothly execute the first invention and the second invention, respectively. Note that the constitution of the fourth invention is simplified from the third invention on the point where it lacks the memory control means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] 

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall structure;

Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of use;

Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation;

Fig. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the structure of the main part;

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a display screen (1);

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a display screen (2);

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a display screen (3); and

Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing the main part according to another embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] A display device 10 of a loom includes a sampling unit 11, a memory 12, and a display controller 13 as main components (Fig. 1). An A/D converter 11a is attached to the sampling unit 11.

[0020] An output signal S1 from a sensor 1 which detects the behavior of yarns is input to the sampling unit 11. An output of the sampling unit 11 is connected to an external display 2 via the memory 12 and the display controller 13. The sensor 1 is mounted on the loom to detect the behavior of warp or weft, and outputs the result of detection as the electrical output signal S1. The display 2 is a cathode-ray tube display, a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, or the like which has a display screen.

[0021] A crank angle signal Sc representing a crank angle θ of the loom is also input to the sampling unit 11. In addition, the crank angle signal Sc is also input to a memory controller 14. A store command Ss is externally input to the memory controller 14, and an output of the memory controller 14 is connected to the memory 12. A display command Sd and a shift command Sf are externally input to the display controller 13.

[0022] The display device 10 of the loom may be structured as software installed in a microcomputer 3 and be used for observing and evaluating the behavior of warp W from a warp tension T (Fig. 2). In the structure shown in Fig. 2, a load cell LD which detects the warp tension T for a let-off controller 4 is used as the sensor 1.

[0023] The warp W is pulled out from a warp beam WB via a tension roller R1, and a shed is formed by healds F and F. Then, a weft yarn (not shown) is woven in by being beaten with a reed RF, and a woven fabric WF is obtained accordingly. The woven fabric WF is wound around a cloth beam FB via a take-up roller R2. A let-off motor Ma is connected to the warp beam WB with a gear box G1 disposed therebetween, and a take-up motor Mb is connected to the cloth beam FB via a gear box G2 disposed therebetween.

[0024] The let-off controller 4 detects the warp tension T on the tension roller R1 with the load cell LD and a beam diameter D of the warp beam WB with a beam-diameter sensor DD, and rotates the warp beam WB while maintaining the warp tension T at a desired value by controlling the speed of the let-off motor Ma. The let-off controller 4 executes sampling control using the microcomputer 3, and a sampling period of the warp tension T and the beam diameter D is set to, for example, 20° in terms of crank angle. Data corresponding to three cycles of the loom, that is, (360/20)x3=54 data items are obtained for each of the warp tension T and the beam diameter D, and average values Ta and Da thereof are used for controlling the let-off motor Ma. The let-off controller 4 outputs the average value Ta of the warp tension T to the microcomputer 3.

[0025] During the operation of the loom, the sampling unit 11 samples the output signal S1 from the sensor 1, that is, the warp tension T from the load cell LD, at every predetermined crank angle θ, for example, every 20°, and memorizes and updates data corresponding to a predetermined period, for example, seven cycles of the loom in a memory area Mo of the memory 12 (Figs. 3 and 4). More specifically, data corresponding to (360/20)x7=126 pairs including the crank angle θ and the warp tension T is memorized and successively updated in the memory area Mo. In Fig. 3, a memory period is shown assuming that the external store command Ss, which will be described below, is generated at the present time.

[0026] If the external store command Ss is generated (solid arrow in Fig. 3), the memory controller 14 outputs a command to the memory 12 at the time when the crank angle θ reaches 0° immediately after so that the data in the memory area Mo is transmitted and stored in another memory area M1 in the memory 12. In Fig. 3, a storage period is set the same as the memory period, that is, to the length corresponding to seven cycles, and a period shorter than one cycle is not included. The memory controller 14 may also store data corresponding to seven cycles excluding a period shorter than one cycle immediately after the generation of the store command Ss (dashed arrow in Fig. 3) in the memory area M1. Alternatively, the size of the memory area Mo in the memory controller 14 may be increased such that the memory period is longer than the storage period by at least one cycle, and when the store command Ss is generated, data within the storage period excluding a period shorter than one cycle immediately before the generation of the store command Ss may be instantaneously transmitted to the memory area M1 from the memory area Mo.

[0027] Then, when the store command Ss is generated the second time, similar to the previous time, the memory controller 14 transmits the data in the memory area Mo to another memory area M2 in the memory 12. Then, in a similar manner, the memory controller 14 transmits the data in the memory area Mo to one of memory areas Mn (n=2, 3, ...) every time the store command Ss is generated. If the store command Ss is generated more than n times, the memory controller 14 updates the oldest data in the memory areas Mn by the data currently memorized in the memory area Mo.

[0028] When the external display command Sd is not input, the display controller 13 reads out data in the memory area Mo in the memory 12 and displays a waveform corresponding to the latest data on the screen of the display 2 (Fig. 5). In Fig. 5, the horizontal axis shows the crank angle θ and the vertical axis shows the warp tension T. The screen shows, for example, a waveform of the warp tension T corresponding to five previous cycles up to the present in real time. In the screen shown in Fig. 5, two store buttons B1 and B2 are provided so that the store command Ss can be generated twice. In addition, buttons B3 and B4 are provided for switching the display contents between the data in the memory area Mo and the data in the memory area Mn, and buttons B5 and B6 are provided for switching the value to be displayed between the warp tension T and the average value Ta thereof. The waveform shown in Fig. 5 corresponds to the case in which the buttons B3 and B5 are pressed.

[0029] When the button B4 is pressed, the display command Sd is generated. Accordingly, the display controller 13 reads out data obtained in different memory periods stored in the memory areas M1 and M2, and superimposes them on the screen (Fig. 6). In Fig. 6, waveforms (1) and (2) correspond to data stored in memory areas M1 and M2, respectively. At this time, the store buttons B1 and B2 are changed to shift buttons B1a and B2a, respectively, on the screen. When the buttons B1a and B2a are pressed, a shift command Sf is generated. Accordingly, the display controller 13 shifts the display ranges of the waveforms (1) and (2) corresponding to the memory areas M1 and M2 in the horizontal direction individually (see (1) to (3) in Fig. 3). More specifically, the display range on the screen, which corresponds to five cycles, is set shorter than the storage period in the memory areas M1 and M2, which corresponds to seven cycles.

[0030] In Figs. 5 and 6, the vertical axes corresponding to the crank angle θ=0° are preferably color-coded for each of the waveforms (1) and (2) in accordance with the period at which the average values Ta and Da of the warp tension T and the beam diameter D, respectively, are obtained in the let-off controller 4. This is because the two waveforms (1) and (2) can be easily synchronized with each other on the screen when they are shifted individually in such a case.

[0031] In this embodiment, the store command Ss is generated by the two store buttons B1 and B2. Accordingly, only the memory areas M1 and M2 corresponding to the buttons B1 and B2, respectively, are necessary. When one of the buttons B1 and B2 is pressed multiple times, the contents in the corresponding memory area M1 or M2 are updated by the data in the memory area Mo each time the button is pressed. When the button B6 on the screen is pressed, the display controller 13 displays a graph showing the temporal variation in the warp tension up to the present time on the screen using the data of the average value Ta of the warp tension T, which is stored separately. At this time, the display range preferably covers data corresponding to several hundred cycles so that tendency of long-term variation in the warp tension T can be observed.

[0032] In the case in which a weft feeler which detects that the an inserted weft yarn has reached a predetermined position is used as the sensor 1 and the data in the memory areas M1 and M2 are superimposed on each other, a display screen shown in Fig. 7, for example, is obtained. In Fig. 7, the horizontal axis shows the crank angle θ, and the display range is shorter than one cycle. The vertical axis shows the signal level of the output signal S1 from the weft feeler. In Fig. 7, waveforms (1) and (2) respectively show a normal operational state and a state in which the variation in the signal level of the output signal S1 is abnormal.

[0033] In the above-described explanations, when the data stored in the memory areas Mn are displayed, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, reference information including the time and date indicating the display period, the rotational speed of the loom, the shedding pattern of the healds F and F, and the kind of the inserted weft at that time may also be memorized and be additionally displayed on the screen. The reference information may also be set such that whether or not to display the reference information can be selected.

Other Embodiments

[0034] In Fig. 1, the memory controller 14 may also be omitted and both of the crank angle signal Sc and the store command Ss may be input to the sampling unit 11 (Fig. 8).

[0035] In this case, a memory 12 includes only memory areas Mn (n=1, 2, ...), and does not included the memory area Mo. The sampling unit 11 samples an output signal S1 from a sensor 1 at every predetermined crank angle θ over a predetermined memory period in response to the store command Ss, and stores the obtained data in the memory areas Mn. In response to a display command Sd, a display controller 13 superimposes waveforms corresponding to the data obtained in different memory periods and stored in the memory areas Mn of the memory 12 on a screen of the display 2. Although the latest data cannot be displayed in real time since the memory area Mo is not provided, all of the other functions can also be realized in this case.

Claims

1. A display method for a loom, wherein
   an output signal from a sensor, which detects the behavior of yarns, is sampled at every predetermined period, the signal is memorized in an updated manner in a memory over a predetermined memory period, data in the memory is stored in response to a store command, and data regarding different memory periods, which have been stored, are displayed on a screen of a display device as a superposed waveform in response to a display command.

2. A display method for a loom, wherein
   an output signal from a sensor, which detects the behavior of yarns, is sampled at every predetermined period over a predetermined memory period in response to a store command, sampled data is memorized in a memory, and data regarding different memory periods in the memory are displayed on a screen of a display device as a superposed waveform in response to a display command.

3. A display device for a loom, comprising:

sampling means for sampling an output signal from a sensor, which detects the behavior of yarns, at every predetermined period, and memorizing the signal in a memory in an updated manner over a predetermined memory period;

memory control means for storing data in said memory in response to a store command; and

display control means for displaying data regarding different memory periods, which have been stored, on a screen of a display device as a superposed waveform in response to a display command.

4. A display device for a loom, comprising:

sampling means for sampling an output signal from a sensor, which detects the behavior of yarns, at every predetermined period over a predetermined memory period and memorizing the signal in a memory in response to a store command; and

display control means for displaying data regarding different memory periods in said memory on a screen of a display device as a superposed waveform in response to a display command.

5. A display method for a loom according to any one of Claims 3 and 4, wherein
   said display control means shifts a display range of the waveform curve on the screen corresponding to a shift command.

Drawing